Search and Rescue
by crankyman7
Summary: When Felix starts behaving strangely and absconds to the internet, Ralph, Sergeant Calhoun, Vanellope, and Gene follow him in hopes of finding and curing him before Mr. Litwak's Christmas vacation ends and the arcade reopens. In the process, they unveil a dark plot that threatens a world they have little reason to love, and are forced to confront their own prejudices. [A/N Inside]
1. Prologue

**Author's Note  
**

Having the characters go to the internet is a common story device in the Wreck-It Ralph fandom, and I'm certainly aware of this. I thought long and hard about it before I decided to use the internet as a major setting in this story. If any of you, my readers, are disappointed by this, I ask that you please bear with me. If the story, the characterization, and the themes did not stand to benefit from the internet's presence in the story, I would not have included it. Hopefully, when the story is done, you will see why I felt the need to use it. For now, rest assured of one thing: while there will certainly be jokes and references related to it, I am not including the internet exclusively as a source for gags.

I should also mention that this story is in several ways, a sequel to _A Dying World_. Knowledge of that story is probably a good thing to have going into this one.

Thank you again to all my readers. You make my time here worthwhile.

And now, here is the prologue. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

**Prologue**

Gene had never been so humiliated in his entire life.

In the early hours of the morning, he'd been greeted in Game Central Station by the sight of Ralph returning with Felix. He'd opened his mouth to hurl a reprimand at Ralph, but the words had died in his throat. The bad-guy had seemingly either not noticed, or simply didn't care; he'd had the look of someone whose mind was on other things. As for Gene, he'd simply stepped aside to let his game's hero and villain enter through the wire, leaving him to hurriedly gather the rest of the Nicelanders and bring them the good news that their game wouldn't be unplugged after all. A good day's work had followed, but the joyous outburst of Mr. Litwak at Ralph's return had been the defining moment. That was when Gene finally put his feelings into a coherent thought.

_Without Ralph and Felix, we're nothing._

He didn't fail to note that his mind had put Ralph's name first in the sentence.

And now, Felix had told him the story. Gene knew now- knew of the savage battle with the cybugs, of the reemergence and final defeat of Turbo, of Ralph's compassion, and willingness to sacrifice himself for a greater good. The handyman had departed some hours ago, but Gene was still sitting in his room in the penthouse, alone with his thoughts. The other characters had all left for Game Central Station for the evening, but he would not move. He was too distracted by his epiphany.

_There really was more to Ralph. And I never gave him a chance._

He remained in the chair behind his desk for much time, his head resting in his hands, a glum expression on his face. Only the sound of the returning characters disturbed his bitter reflections. Standing up, Gene moved towards the windows. Through one, he saw Felix and the other Nicelanders moving towards the Penthouse entrance. Through the other, he saw Ralph waving goodbye to a short, dark-haired girl in a turquoise jacket and a brown skirt. The wrecker watched until the girl was out of sight, and then turned back towards the dump that was his home.

Gene gulped nervously and fingered the tie around his neck. He glanced towards the door, and then back through the window. Ralph was climbing atop the pile of discarded bricks, apparently preparing to catch a bit of rest before the arcade opened in a few hours.

_I'm not looking forward to this_, Gene thought, _but it has to be done. It's the only decent thing to do. I just hope he'll listen to me._

He strode towards the door, giving Felix and the returning Nicelanders brief nods of acknowledgment. Straight into the elevator he went, punching the button that would take him to the first floor. When he reached the entrance hall, Gene checked his watch. It had taken him only five minutes to get there, but the trip felt as though it had taken an hour.

He went outside and turned to observe the mound of bricks to the penthouse's left. He hurried towards it, only to hesitate a few yards from its edge.

_Courage Gene, courage. You won't live with yourself if you don't do this._

Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and walked to the pile's edge.

"Ralph?" he called. "Ralph?"

There was a shifting motion among the bricks, and a familiar face popped above the pile's surface, eyes blinking groggily.

"Wha-? Oh, it's you, Gene. What do you need?"

"Did I choose a bad time?" said Gene. "If you need to sleep-"

"Nah, I've got time," said Ralph. "Come on up."

Gene looked hesitantly at the mound of debris. For a moment, his habitual prissiness asserted itself, and he wrinkled his nose in disgust- but only for a moment. Banishing all thoughts of bad odor from his mind, he hopped upwards until he was standing beside Ralph. Ralph, for his part, moved into a sitting position.

"What's on your mind?" he asked Gene.

"I…" Gene hesitated once again.

"Uh-huh?"

"Look, Ralph," said Gene. "I think I said some pretty horrible stuff last night."

"It was kind of true."

Gene blinked. "What?"

"I was being pretty selfish, just wanting a medal for myself. I'd already gotten a good jolt before we spoke, but you made it permanent."

"Well, maybe you're right," said Gene. "I'm in, ah, no position to judge." He looked nervously at his feet, fingering his tie once more.

"Something the matter, Gene?"

"Well, ah, Ralph…the fact is…"

Gene looked Ralph squarely in the eyes.

"Ralph, I need to apologize. Felix told me about what happened. About what you did."

Gene straightened his tie and let go of it.

"I was wrong. You really are a good guy."

He watched as Ralph absorbed his words.

"I know thirty years is a lot of time to let go of," Gene continued. "I'll understand if you can't, but still: I'd like to ask your forgiveness."

He held out his hand.

"Can we let bygones be bygones?"

Ralph looked reflective for a moment.

"Gene," he said. "You're right. Thirty years is a lot to let go of. I don't know if I can forget. But after what I've been through, I'd be ashamed if I couldn't forgive."

He took Gene's hand between his thumb and index finger, and shook it.

"Thank you Ralph," said Gene. "This…means a lot to me."

"No problem," said Ralph. "Have a good rest of the night now. I'll see you when the arcade opens."

"And you can throw me out of the window again," said Gene. He smiled briefly, before hopping down from the pile of rubble. Back to the penthouse he went, into the entrance hall, up the elevator, and down the hallway, until he reached the doors of his room. Entering, he changed into his nightclothes, ready to obtain a short rest himself. He climbed into his bed and closed his eyes.

Already, his heart was lighter.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Tis the Season**

Christmas at Litwak's Arcade meant several things. Firstly, it meant the arcade was closed from the 21st through the 28th of the month, since Mr. Litwak refused to keep his employees from their families during Christmas. Secondly, it meant Christmas music would be played in the arcade from the start of December until vacation time arrived. Lastly, it meant the arcade characters had a chance to get into the festive spirit themselves.

Not that they had always had the clearest idea what Christmas was even supposed to be about. Early attempts at celebrating it had tended to veer towards the haphazard, ungainly amalgamations of commercialization and overheard snatches of conversation from the gamers. By the time the 1990s came around, their efforts had begun to coalesce into greater coherence. By the turn of the twenty-first century, they were having pageants and parades in Game Central Station. Many great memories did the characters have of this decade- though in the wake of the _Sugar Rush_ incident, few wanted to recall the year King Candy was Santa Claus.

Now, just over four years after the arrival of _Hero's Duty_ and _Presidential Combat_, the characters had at least some level of understanding about the cultural and religious background of Christmas. Not that the influence of commercialization had ever really gone away. On the contrary, there would still be a big celebration this year in Game Central Station. And of course, many characters would obtain presents for their friends and coworkers.

_But_, Ralph thought to himself_, at least one thing's different this year. We got to say goodbye to Mr. Litwak, since he knows our secret now._

The old arcade owner, always the last to leave, had lingered long enough to wish all the characters a wonderful eight days off before heading home.

"You tell me how things went when I'm back, alright?" he had said. They had all promised a full account. After everything the arcade had been through, who could say no to its kindly owner?

_It'll be a great Christmas without the likes of SANG around to mess things up._

Ralph got up from the boulder that was his chair and glanced at the dying embers in his fireplace.

"Gotta give that thing some more fuel," he said aloud. Moving towards a stack of logs, he selected an extra-large one. This he tossed onto the embers. It soon caught fire and began to burn merrily.

"Much better."

There was a loud rapping at his door.

_That'll be her._

Ralph grinned.

_I can play her a trick, payback for that taffy incident._

"Hey Ralph!" a voice called from outside. "Hey, come on, it's your old chump here to see you!"

Ralph didn't reply. Instead, he crouched down just out of the door's path, out of sight of the windows.

"Hey, come on Ralphie, open up!"

Still, Ralph did not answer.

"Hey Ralph? Did you oversleep again?"

The door opened, revealing the diminutive form of Vanellope von Schweetz.

"Ralph?" she said, entering the house and shutting the door behind her. "Where are you?"

Ralph leaped into view, his arms raised. With a shriek, Vanellope jumped into the air. She landed in Ralph's outstretched arms.

"Hey, no fair!" she exclaimed. "What'd you do that for?"

"Guess," said Ralph.

"The taffy incident?"

"You got it."

"I thought I said I was sorry?" said Vanellope, glitching out of Ralph's arms and onto the floor.

"Yeah, well, you turned right around and started bragging about it again the next day," said Ralph.

"Oh, me and my big mouth," said Vanellope. "Sorry about that. It's just…it was pretty funny."

"You wouldn't say that if you'd been the one having to clean up the mess," Ralph replied.

"I guess you're right," said Vanellope. She smiled. "Anyway, I brought you something."

"We've been through this every time," said Ralph. "You wait on giving the presents until Christmas Day."

"Yeah, well, I just couldn't wait to give _this_ to you!" She drew a sheet of paper from her jacket pocket and held it out to Ralph. Ralph took it and looked at it closely.

_Stick figures? Except one's a whole lot bigger than the other. She used a circle for the body instead of a stick. And what's with the broccoli in the background?_

"It's me and you, standing in front of the trees in your game," said Vanellope.

"Oh," said Ralph. "It's…really nice."

"You mean that?" Vanellope said, a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"Well, nothing's ever perfect," said Ralph. "But yeah, it's cool. Thanks."

"Great!" Vanellope spun about on her heel before plopping onto the floor.

"Whew! I'm tired after all the racing I've had to do."

"The new kart still working out well?" Ralph asked as he placed the picture over the mantelpiece.

"Yep," said Vanellope. "It looks pretty, and it gets the job done. It's working just fine."

"Good," said Ralph. "Everything else well?"

"Yeah…err…things are great!"

"With an exception?" Ralph asked. "You didn't sound so certain there."

"He came back," said Vanellope.

"King Candy?"

"Yeah. I don't what's with my head, but I get these weird visions on occasion. I know he'd dead, but it's freaky."

"Notice any patterns?"

"Well…" Vanellope put her finger under her chin, as though she were thinking deeply.

"He only comes when I've got a ton of stuff on my mind," she said at last. "Ever since the…" Her voice trailed off.

"The invasion?"

"Yeah…since then." Vanellope looked down at the floor.

"I just…it's only been a few months since…since _he_ died," she said. "I try not to think about him. But I remembered last night and…and then King Candy showed up for the first time since October, and…"

"Those are just memories," said Ralph. "Mr. Ainsworth can't hurt you anymore."

Vanellope sighed.

"Too late. He won."

"Look Vanellope," said Ralph. "I'm not mad about what happened. None of us are."

"But Ralph," said Vanellope, looking up, "I've got blood on these hands." She held out her hands, palms up. "I pass that empty socket every day. It's empty because of me."

"That wasn't your fault," said Ralph. "SANG did that, and nobody else."

"And they did it because I broke."

"Hey," said Ralph, kneeling down beside his friend. "Hey- you're not invincible. None of us are."

"I know that," said Vanellope. She lowered her arms. "It's just…what if lives depend on me in the future…and I break again?"

Vanellope's expression was heartbreaking.

_What do I tell her?_ Ralph thought. _She's got a pretty good point. But she needs to forgive herself._

"Whatever happens," he said, "I'll always be your friend."

Vanellope's face brightened a little.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"Now let's go have some fun together," said Ralph, standing up. "_Burger Time_ sound good?"

"Well, if Theodore Roosevelt's done checking out their meat proce…prop…what was that phrase again?"

"Meat processing practices?"

"Yeah, that was it. I'm not always good with big words."

"Yeah, he's done. _Burger Time _got the stamp of approval."

"Those presidents like their in-game roles a lot, don't they?" said Vanellope.

"You could say that," said Ralph. He gestured to the door. "Anyway, shall we?"

"Yep," said Vanellope. She threw open the door.

"Time for a burger!" she cried.

A crowd of Nicelanders, who had been passing down the street and conversing, stopped to stare at her.

"Oh," said Vanellope, grinning sheepishly. "I guess I _was_ a little loud."

"No worries, guys," said Ralph, following her out of the door.

The Nicelanders returned to their conversations and continued their walk.

"Right," said Ralph. "We're off. Just remember- no caffeine."

"I know, I know," said Vanellope. "You'll never let me live that down, will you?"

Ralph winked. "Never."

A foolish looking grin spread over Vanellope's face.

"Race you to the carts," she said.

"Hold on a second-" Ralph began. It was too late; she had already dashed away.

"Fine, I'm coming," Ralph cried. He hurried after her as fast as he could.

"You lost again," said Vanellope, as soon as he reached the carts.

"I'm not as fast as you," said Ralph, pausing to catch his breath.

"Well never mind, then," said Vanellope. "Into the carts, Stinkbrain. It's time to get burgers."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**The Mayor of Niceland**

The past four years had been better for Gene than he could have imagined.

To be sure, life had had its ups and downs. But he'd come out of the aftermath of the _Sugar Rush_ Incident fairly unscathed. Such was the persuasive power of Ralph's forgiveness among the arcade's denizens.

He couldn't call himself the hulking bad guy's friend. No, they simply didn't have enough in common for that. Where Ralph was informal, casual, and imprecise, he was formal, uptight, and precise. Where Ralph would drink root beer, he would settle for nothing less than a martini. And while he certainly bore no ill-will towards Vanellope von Schweetz- how could he, given everything she'd been through? -her frequent visits were more a matter of toleration for him. He would be polite to her when she arrived and when she left, and she would be polite right back- insofar as she knew how -and that was the extent of their relationship.

_I suppose the taffy incident didn't help win me over to her _Gene mused. _Then again, she's only nine. _

_Oh, wait. She'll _always_ be nine._

He was more resigned to that fact than he liked to pretend, however, and as he gazed out of the penthouse window on that December morning, he promised for the umpteenth time to stop kidding himself.

_I guess she's alright. We just don't have much of anything in common is all it is. Same thing with Ralph._

Gene turned towards his bedroom mirror. Carefully, he combed his hair, taking great care not to leave any bits sticking out. He straightened his tie and then pulled on his jacket. Finally, he inserted a flower in his lapel. Finally satisfied, he left his room.

_That being said, I've got to respect Ralph. He's not so bad a co-worker. If only he'd just take to brushing his teeth a little more often, maybe just step in the shower once a day, instead of once a month. I mean, I've offered my own bathroom if he ever wants it, he can take full advantage of that._

Gene entered the elevator, a smile on his face.

_Morning walk time- how I love it._

Several of the other Nicelanders were already on the sidewalk below the penthouse. Gene smiled at them and shook their hands.

"Morning Mr. Mayor," said one of them, with red hair and moustache.

"Good morning, Norwood," said Gene. "Pleasant weather today."

"We always have pleasant weather in here," Norwood replied with a laugh.

Gene gestured towards the sidewalk. "Shall we?"

"After you," said Norwood.

Gene set off down the sidewalk, followed by his fellow Nicelanders.

Turning the corner, Gene spotted Vanellope von Schweetz exiting the wire in one of the carts. He gave her a brief nod of acknowledgment. She, for her part, waved exaggeratedly, a goofy looking smile on her face, before leaping out of the cart and hurrying off towards Ralph's house. Gene watched her depart for a few moments, before returning to his walk.

"So," said Norwood, when they had gone a little further, "any big Christmas plans?"

"You know we'll be observing the parade," said Gene. "I'd like another cocktail party this year."

"An excuse to see Ralph dressed up?"

"He's not incapable of looking respectable. Regardless, it'd be wrong not to invite him."

"I hear Mary wants to bake another cake," said Norwood.

"Actually, she told me it was going to be a pie," said Gene.

They turned onto the street that led past the brick buildings where Ralph and the _Q-Bert_ characters lived. Gene no longer winced at the slight dinginess of the buildings; he was used to it by now. Nevertheless, he still frowned a little.

_Couldn't Felix have given them something a little nicer looking? They kind of mar the view. But I suppose it's better than our coworkers being homeless. And besides, I can't have Felix's handiwork torn down._

"Did we ever find the mock tree?" Norwood asked.

"Don was going to tell me about the results of his search through the attic," Gene replied. He turned back to look at the old sailor, who was a few paces behind, in conversation with Roy.

"Hey Don," said Gene, "did you find the tree?"

Don grinned. "Got it Mr. Mayor, in tip-top shape."

"Excellent," Gene replied. "Now, if we can just-"

He stopped speaking as the door of Ralph's house was thrown open. Out leaped Vanellope von Schweetz, grinning from ear to ear.

"Time for a burger!" she exclaimed. Gene winced at the racer's volume. He turned to stare at her. As one, the other Nicelanders did the same.

Vanellope looked embarrsessed.

"Oh, I guess I _was_ a little loud," she said. She hopped out of the way as Ralph exited the house.

"No worries, guys!" he called to the Nicelanders.

Shaking his head, Gene continued his walk, followed by the other Nicelanders.

"So," Don asked him, "what was it you were saying?"

Gene sighed. "I can't remember."

* * *

The rest of the walk was uneventful, and by the time another hour had passed, Gene was in his office.

_Not that I have all that much to do, jobwise_ he thought. _Being mayor of a single building isn't overly strenuous, especially since I don't have to do any mayoral work in-game._

A knock on the door made Gene raise his head from his papers.

"Yes?" he said. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Sergeant Calhoun. The marine officer carried a white sack in her hand, which she deposited on gene's desk. Gene winced at the odor of grease coming from within.

"What is _that_?" he asked, pointing at the sack

"Vanellope had places to be, so she had me deliver this to you," said Calhoun. "It's a burger."

Gene reached gingerly into the sack, drawing out a foil wrapper surrounding a circular mass which he presumed was the burger. Attached to it by a bit of tape, half soaked by water from the steam within the burger, was a note which read:

_Sorry for yelling. Here, take this._

_Citizen Vanellope von Schweetz_

"Tell her…thank you," said Gene, feeling rather nonplussed.

"Got it," said Calhoun.

When the sergeant had left, Gene picked up the burger and started to carry it toward the trashcan. Then, he stopped.

_I can't do that. It wouldn't be polite._

With a sigh, he opened the wrapper and the burger went down his throat with all possible speed. Hurriedly, he poured some juice into a glass and gulped the liquid to wash away the taste, before throwing away the bag and the wrapper. He then selected a can of air freshener from a shelf and gave the office several good sprays. This done, he returned to his desk and got back to work.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**Flight of the Handyman**

For Felix, the day had gone beautifully so far.

He'd spent much of the morning already with his wife. Despite their nearly opposite demeanors, no one could deny that he and the Sergeant had proven the perfect match. Before they'd met, most would have seen the very idea of love blossoming between them as absurd. Now, nobody could imagine them separating, even if they sometimes wondered what the two saw in each other.

_You have to look past the tough exterior. She cares. She cares deeply. She doesn't just doesn't look or sound all sentimental about it. _

_My land, I love her. Now, when she gets back here in Game Central Station- oh, here she comes now._

"I gave him the burger," said Calhoun when she arrived beside Felix. "He looked a little baffled, but he took it. Where's Vanellope?"

"Back in her game," said Felix.

"Right, if you'll just wait here a little bit longer, I need to go give her Gene's thanks."

"Will do," Felix replied. He watched her go, smiling. His smile faded as a sudden realization hit him.

_I still need to get her a Christmas present._

He began to pace back and forth, his index finger beneath his chin.

_What to get her? What to-_

The sight of a tiny, six-legged, metallic object skittering across the floor of the station cut off his train of thought.

_What _is_ that?_

Puzzled, Felix followed the object, which seemed to be merely an inch in diameter, across Game Central Station. It stayed near the edge of the wall, avoiding the other game characters, as it headed towards the far end of the power strip.

_The way out of the arcade? Did it come from there? Whatever it is, it's small enough it might slip by Old Surge, careful as he is._

The object twisted around, paused briefly, and then turned again made a quick dash for the wire entrance. Felix ran forward, ignoring the curious looks of the various characters. He arrived at the wire entrance just before the object did. It skittered aside, heading towards the left. Felix followed it until he had backed it into a corner.

"Now," he said aloud, "what are you?"

The object sprang into the air and landed on his forehead.

"Hey, get off!" Felix cried. He felt a tiny set of pincers sink into his skin, and the rest of the object following thereafter.

_What just…_

Felix stopped, as a voice rang through his mind.

_I must get back to my master._

Somehow, it made no sense- and yet made perfect sense at the same time.

Felix felt his forehead. There was no object, no wound. Just smooth skin.

_I must get back to my master._

Felix mused upon that thought.

_I suppose it _is_ true. I've been away for far too long. Ever since that scuffle in the wire. Yes, I must get back to my master. He'll be wondering where I am._

Felix turned towards the wire.

_Back the way I came…_

* * *

Sergeant Calhoun had never had any great love for the _Sugar Rush_ environment. For one thing, the game's theme song made her want to claw her eyes out. For another thing, it was so obnoxiously cutesy in its aesthetics that if she hadn't retained some fondness for Ralph's chosen friend, she would probably have never returned at all.

Still, as she watched Vanellope von Schweetz speeding around the test track in her new pink and white kart, Calhoun had to admit that she could understand why the gamers liked _Sugar Rush_. Driving those karts did look thrilling.

Vanellope braked hard when she saw the sergeant observing her. She hopped out of the kart, removing her racing goggles and tossing them onto the seat.

"Hey Sarge," she said. "How'd it go?"

Calhoun remembered Gene's disgusted expression when he had smelled the burger.

_Best to choose the more tactful version right now. He said thank you, and he meant that much. _

"He sends his thanks," Calhoun said aloud.

"Great!"

Calhoun pointed at the kart.

"Out for a test drive?"

"Yeah," said Vanellope. "I'm still getting a little used to this one. You'd think I'd be adjusted by now, but…I guess not."

"Had a few crashes?"

"No," said Vanellope. "I don't know what it is. I just want more practice, I guess."

_Oh, I know exactly what it is_ Calhoun thought. _No matter how much you might like this one, you still miss your old kart._

"Oh, wait, where are my manners?" Vanellope reached into her pocket. "Here, take these. They're for you and Felix."

She handed Calhoun several wrapped pieces of chocolate.

"Thank you," said Calhoun. She placed the candies in a small container on her belt.

_Little kindnesses. She's taken to that a lot since September. A bit overdone, but backed up by a good heart. Ralph chose his friend well- even if she is rather too energetic for her own good._

Just then, Calhoun's wrist communicator beeped.

"Yes?" she said as she switched it on.

"Hey Sarge," said the voice on the other end of the connection. "This is Kohut. You'd better get out here."

"Where are you?"

"Game Central Station. Something's happened to Felix. He's gone."

Calhoun started. "Gone? What do you mean, 'gone'? Has he turned invisible?"

"No, he left. He absconded through the power socket- right out of the arcade."

"_What?_ Hold on, I'm coming right now."

Calhoun switched the communicator off and turned in the direction of _Sugar Rush_'s wire entrance. Vanellope hurried after her, a concerned look on her face.

"He left?" she said, arriving beside Calhoun. "Why would he leave?"

"I have no clue," said Calhoun. "But I'm going to find out why. And just as soon as I have the facts, I'm going to fetch him back here, and I'm going to get an explanation."

"I'm going with you," said Vanellope.

"Maybe you are, maybe you aren't," said Calhoun. "First, I need to find out what exactly happened. Then we can talk about who's going after him."

"Through the power socket?" Vanellope said, the full weight of Kohut's words apparently only just hitting her. "But that's where-"

She gulped.

"But that's where _they_ came from."

"I know that," said Calhoun. "That's part of why I'm worried. If that route can disgorge SANG…what else lies along its course?"


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Assembling the Team**

Calhoun strode quickly into Game Central Station, Vanellope following closely at her heels. Kohut was straight ahead by the far wall, the Surge Protector beside him.

"So let me get this straight," said Calhoun, stopping in front of the two of them. "Felix left the arcade?"

"That's what I said, sarge," said Kohut. "He was running towards the wire that leads to the power socket, and then headed towards the corner of the station. Next thing anyone knew, he was spouting off nonsense about finding his master. I tried to calm him down, but…he bolted."

"Right past me," said the Surge Protector. "I tried to stop him, but he just shoved me out of the way. He went into the arcade's wall."

"Why didn't someone follow him?" Vanellope asked.

"I tried," said Kohut. "He was way too fast…gone in seconds, it seemed like."

"Well," said Calhoun, "it must be mind control."

"Wait," said the Surge Protector. "Why would you say that?"

"All the usual signs are there, from what you boys are describing," she said. "If nothing else, that bit about 'finding the master' ought to be a dead giveaway."

"The sarge knows her clichés," said Kohut. "I'd trust her."

"Who'd do that, though?" the Surge Protector asked. "The last guy we had with that sort of technology is gone."

At this, Vanellope glanced briefly towards the only empty socket in the power strip.

"Something must have got past your gaze," said Calhoun. "Something from outside the arcade. Something tiny, that'd be easy to miss."

"Which leaves us with a whole world out there to explore," said Kohut. "How'll we ever find him?"

"If he's even still there to be found," said the Surge Protector.

"Now that's a fear I will _not_ give in to," Calhoun replied. "Not when I haven't even tried to find him. I need to go through that wire."

"If I let you through," said the Surge Protector, "I'm taking an awful risk. You're an essential part of your own game. If you die…"

"You don't need to tell me," said Calhoun. "But he's my husband."

"And our coworker," said a voice to her left. Calhoun turned to see Ralph heading towards the group, with Gene following him.

"We just heard all about it from Clyde," said Ralph as and Gene he arrived beside them. "If you're going, so am I."

"And I as well," Gene added. "I won't have it said that I sat back and did nothing when a friend was in trouble."

"That's three of you," said the Surge Protector. "An even bigger risk."

"And I'm going too," said Vanellope, a look of firm resolution on her features.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," said the Surge Protector. He held up a finger to silence Vanellope's protest. "Ralph and Gene are part of Felix's game, and if Felix isn't found, their game's broken. They've got every reason to go through that socket. As for Sergeant Calhoun- whatever the risk to _Hero's Duty_, this _is_ her spouse we're talking about."

The Surge Protector paused for effect, before adding: "Why should I take any more risks than I have to? We don't know what lies beyond that socket, and I don't want you getting hurt…again."

"Let her come, Surge," said Ralph.

"No can do, Ralph," Surge replied. "I've said my piece."

"But I haven't said mine."

Sergeant Calhoun turned to look at Vanellope.

"Felix is my friend too," Vanellope continued. "And there's more. I think if I don't go with you guys, I'll never forgive myself." She blinked. "I don't know why, I just do."

_As before, I know exactly what you're feeling, _Calhoun mused. _And this time, I think you know, too._

Calhoun turned back to the Surge Protector.

"Ralph's right," she said. "Let her come with us."

"Sarge?" said Kohut, "are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Kohut, you keep the troops in line till I get back," said Calhoun.

"I'm still not so sure this is a good idea," said the Surge Protector. "What does Gene say?"

The Mayor of Niceland straightened the flower in his lapel. "To be honest, it's a bad idea," he said. "But as I'm outvoted, I acquiesce…provided Sergeant Calhoun takes full responsibility for her safety."

"I'll do what any mortal can," said Calhoun.

"And I promise I'll do what I'm told," Vanellope replied.

"Only make promises you can keep," said Calhoun. "Anyway, I'd recommend you stay with one of us at all times. Usually, that'll mean me, but if it has to be somebody else-" She gave Gene a meaningful look.

Gene snorted "I won't knowingly let any of us die or get lost, if that's what you mean," he said.

"And you know I'm always one for a group effort," said Ralph.

"Like when you helped Don look for the Christmas tree?" Gene remarked. "Oh right, you didn't."

"Oh sorry, I got busy," Ralph replied, embarrassed.

Gene harrumphed, but said nothing.

"Whatever happens, don't fight amongst yourselves," said the Surge Protector. He looked at Vanellope.

"I'm going to let you go, but it's against my better judgment. Just…don't die."

"I don't plan on it," said Vanellope.

"I never planned on having SANG get past my defenses," said the Surge Protector, "but it happened." He took Vanellope's hand in his own.

"Stay safe," he said as he de-materialized.

"I'll say the same thing," said Kohut. "To all of you, actually. I've no idea what's out there."

"None of us do," said Ralph. "We've been through this."

"Right then," said Sergeant Calhoun. "I suggest you boys make any final goodbyes right now. We leave in an hour. And while I'm sure we all plan on coming back…"

Her voice trailed off. There was no need to finish the sentence.

"Right," Calhoun said again. She turned to Kohut, who saluted.

"My cruiser still in good repair?" she asked him.

"We've got it in tip-top condition, sarge," he said.

"Good," said Calhoun. "I'm going to fetch it. Assemble the men. I want one last word with them."

* * *

Within the staging area of _Hero's Duty_, Calhoun surveyed the assembled marines. They wore looks of rapt attention that she knew were genuine.

_No disrespecting their sergeant- not for these men._

"Right boys," Calhoun began. "As you've probably heard, my husband went a little bonkers and went skedaddling for parts unknown. I've got to go and fetch him back before this arcade re-opens. I may or may not be back in time for Christmas, but we'll keep our priorities, won't we? The mission comes first, even if it takes until the 28th.'

'I'm sure you all know the risk. If I die, our game is basically busted. I don't intend to die, but if I don't come back…well, keep your chins up, and no wallowing in angst like a sissy."

Calhoun cleared her throat.

"That is all."

Every marine saluted simultaneously. Calhoun grinned.

"That's right boys," she said. "Efficiency, loyalty, honor- all marks of a good soldier. I've full confidence in you boys to keep this place in good order till I get back. Obey Kohut in all things, and keep making the corps proud. Dismissed."

As the marines filed out of the staging area, Calhoun slung her hoverboard over her shoulder.

_No wallowing in angst. Hah, I love motivating them like that. You can't do that with everyone._

She thought of Vanellope.

_An additional responsibility on my part. I've got to worry about her, on top of worrying about Felix. But…it just wouldn't have been right to leave her. She's got her own problems, and if doing this gives her a fresh purpose, who am I to deny her that? I just hope she doesn't get too hyper._

Calhoun smirked.

_Who am I kidding? She probably will go a little crazy. Just so long as she stays with the group-_

She shook her head.

"Time to go."

With that, she headed boarded the train that would take her to Game Central Station.

_I'm coming, Felix. Wherever you are…I'm coming._


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**Through the Wires**

Ralph stood within the wire, gazing at the opening of the power socket. The way ahead was dimly lit, and he couldn't see much further than twelve feet ahead.

_Where SANG came from…the internet? Is that where Felix is heading?_

On one side of him there stood Gene, nervously fingering the flower in his lapel. On the other was Vanellope, her eyes wide. A short distance ahead, Sergeant Calhoun was glancing over the readouts from her handheld scanner.

"No signs of life in the area," she said, tucking the device back into her belt. "There seem to be some scorch marks on the sides of the wiring inside the socket though."

"Some kind of fight?" Gene asked.

"I think so," said Calhoun. "They're blaster marks all right."

Ralph frowned. "You think Felix had anything to with it?"

"Don't think so," Calhoun replied. "The marks aren't fresh enough." She looked back towards the group, gesturing towards the path ahead as she did so.

"I'm not giving any speeches this time," she said. "We know what's at stake. Let's go." So saying, she turned towards the socket and strode resolutely through it into the wall of the arcade. Gene let go the flower in his lapel and followed after her, not once looking backward, but several times looking from side to side.

As Ralph began to move, he realized Vanellope wasn't beside him. Looking back, he saw her still standing where she had been. She was gazing at the opening of the socket with trepidation. Her hand strayed to her left side. Slowly, wordlessly, she traced her index finger along a six-inch line below her ribs.

"Hey," said Ralph, coming towards her. "Hey, you coming?"

"That's where they came from," she said. "That's where he came from."

"I know," said Ralph. "But that's where Felix went. And we owe it to our friend to find him, wherever he's gone."

Gene came hopping out of the socket.

"What's the delay?" he asked. "Sergeant Calhoun is eager to get moving."

His eyes strayed to Vanellope.

"Oh," he said, recognition dawning. "You know Vanellope, it's not too late to back out."

"I'm coming," she replied. "I want to go. But….I can't take the first step."

"Hold my hand," said Ralph. "We'll go in together."

Vanellope placed her small hand between her friend's gigantic fingers.

"Let's go then," said Gene. He turned and entered the power socket once more.

Ralph looked down at Vanellope.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I guess so," she replied.

* * *

Sergeant Calhoun was waiting a short distance ahead, with Gene beside her.

"Alright troops," she said. "We need to get a move on here. The wire curves around up ahead and there are more blast marks. If we follow those, we might get somewhere."

"How do we know Felix is going back the way whatever was fighting came?" Ralph asked.

"Look, do you have a better plan?" Calhoun asked.

"Nope," said Ralph.

"That's what I thought," she said. "Anyway, as you'll remember, I deduced mind control as the problem. Now wherever that thing controlling him, whatever it is, came from, it's as good a guess as any it had to come by this route. This route is lined with periodic blast marks. I think the fight must be connected with the arrival of whatever caused Felix to go awol."

Vanellope clapped. "Hey, great deduction, Sherlock."

Calhoun frowned.

"That was a compliment, okay?" said Vanellope. "I'd never made a connection with those thingies on the wall."

"Blast marks," said Ralph.

"Blast marks, smashed markers, whatever," said Vanellope. "By the way, are we there yet?"

Gene sighed. "I was waiting for that one line."

"Hah, just kidding," said Vanellope. "Come on guys, get a sense of humor."

Calhoun allowed herself a brief smirk, before turning towards the path ahead. Gene followed her wordlessly.

"Look," said Ralph, as he and Vanellope began to move again. "I know your trying to lighten the mood, but let's not bother Gene, okay?"

"He's kind of prissy though, so it's fun."

"I heard that," Gene called back.

"Sorry," Vanellope said aloud.

Gene did not reply.

Vanellope continued to walk beside Ralph, seemingly lost in her own thoughts, for the next few minutes. Then, abruptly, she shattered her silence with two simple, melancholy words.

"I'm scared."

Ralph held out his hand once again, which Vanellope took.

"So am I," he said.

* * *

The trail of blast marks soon led them into a new wire that opened out of the side of the one they were in. Down this they went, until the marks ceased to be occasional and became frequent. They were joined by dirt and the occasional spot of blood, which made everyone except Sergeant Calhoun wince.

_Whatever happened in these wires_, Ralph thought,_ it must've been brutal._

As Calhoun knelt down to examine the signs once more, a look of exultation passed over her features.

"Look at this," she said, pointing at a patch of dirt and grime on the wire floor. Ralph, Vanellope, and Gene quickly gathered around to see what she was talking about. It was a boot print.

"Definitely Felix's," said Calhoun. "We're heading the right way." She stood up and gestured for them to keep walking. Gene did so gingerly, carefully avoiding the dirt. Vanellope kept glancing nervously at the bloodstains, which Ralph noticed. For the second time that day, he saw her slowly trace her finger along the path of the scar below her ribs.

"I can't _not_ think about it," she said quietly.

"I know," said Ralph. "But try."

Calhoun had gone ahead around a bend in the wire to reconnoiter. As Ralph, Vanellope, and Gene approached the bend, they heard a thud from where she was standing. Alarmed, the three of them hurried around the turn, through another power socket that was just beyond, and all the way to the end of the wire on the other side, barely pausing to acknowledge these new developments in their surroundings. .

Sergeant Calhoun was at the end of this new stretch of wire, gazing out at what lay beyond. The thud had been the echo of her scanner, which had fallen out of her hand onto the ground. As Ralph, Gene, and Vanellope arrived beside her, their jaws dropped.

"Whoa," said Ralph. "What _is_ this place?"


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**The Gates of the Web**

It was a chamber.

Relatively narrow in width and average in length, it was of immense height. Along the walls and ceiling, wiring could be glimpsed, snaking its way across the expanse of the room. At the far end, there stood a vast, circular frame filled with a shimmering blue-green substance. Vague shapes could be glimpsed through it, but the substance was too murky to make any of them out in much detail.

Calhoun picked her scanner up from the floor and examined it. Satisfied that it was still in good shape, she did a quick check.

"No signs of life," she said, moving forward. "You can come in now."

"What is this place?" Ralph said again.

"I share your curiosity," said Gene, glancing about the chamber. "I've never seen anything like it."

"What's that thing over there?" Vanellope asked, pointing towards the odd framework.

"A portal of some kind, I guess," Calhoun replied. She knelt down to examine the ground.

"More footprints," she said. Still on her hands and knees, she moved forward slowly, inching steadily towards the portal. Five feet away from it, she stood up and gestured for Ralph, Gene, and Vanellope to join her.

"There are several sets of footprints in this room," she said. "But one of them is definitely Felix's. And it leads this way- into the portal."

There was dead silence for at least a minute.

"Where does this...er…portal go?" Gene asked.

"I have absolutely no idea," said Calhoun. "But I know Felix is beyond it. We have to go through."

"So be it," said Gene. "I'm not backing out now."

"Neither am I," said Ralph.

"I didn't come this far to quit," said Vanellope.

"Follow me, then." With that, Sergeant Calhoun stepped into the portal.

* * *

The substance was gelatinous, yet smooth. Cold, of the most soothing kind, seemed to creep into every fibre of Calhoun's being. She felt lethargic, yet she was still vividly aware of her surroundings.

_A weird contradiction_ she thought. _I'd never have been able to imagine it before now._

Electrical pulses danced before her eyes, as if in slow motion. Colors flared around her: violet, scarlet, yellow, green, and teal. They coalesced into strange shapes that lasted for only fractions of a second, before fading away as if they had never been.

And then the electrical pulses increased in size, until they filled the whole of her vision…

* * *

Calhoun stepped out of the portal onto a vast carpet of blue. The room she had entered was immense, with passages winding outwards from the wall ahead, as well as the walls to the left and right. The ceiling was a circular dome. The entire room was as blue as the floor, except for bright red lettering on the floor which read:

**Welcome to the Internet**

As Calhoun began to move forward, she heard her companions emerge from the portal behind her.

"That was like swimming in electric jello," said Vanellope. "We should do it agai-"

She stopped speaking as soon as she saw the red letters.

"So, he did go to the internet," said Ralph.

"You guessed that?" said Gene.

"Hush," said Calhoun. "I hear something"

There was a muffled clanking sound from one of the passages along the far wall. Calhoun glanced back at the others.

"You all saw the shapes through the portal when we first came in, right?"

They nodded.

"Where did they go?"

The clanking sounds were now coming from passages in the left and the right walls as well. Calhoun drew her blaster and held it at the ready. Vanellope stayed next to Ralph, who readied his fists, while Gene glanced about the chamber warily.

Three four-legged beasts emerged, one from each wall, and began to walk slowly towards the little band. Their shape was wolf-like, but instead of flesh, they appeared to be made of iron. Their eyes were a sickly yellow. With every step they took, they produced a harsh noise as of metal grinding against itself.

"Iron wolves?" said Gene. "Whose idea was this? Welcome to the internet indeed. Humph."

"Stay together," said Calhoun. "Whatever happens, don't let them separate us."

The wolves continued to move forward. Calhoun raised her blaster.

A loud, metallic crash mingled with a fierce growl prompted Calhoun to look behind her. Another one of the beasts had just leapt from atop the portal down behind the group.

Calhoun spun about and emptied several shots into the creature. It howled in irritation and pain, but did not drop.

"Ralph!" Calhoun cried. "Wreck this thing, will you?"

As Ralph turned to engage the beast, one of the other three sprang forward, swatting Gene across the room towards one of the passages. Vanellope glitched towards the mayor, arriving just in time to break his fall with her own body. She groaned as Gene landed atop her. The mayor rolled off of her onto the ground and she sat up.

"Anything…broken?" Gene asked, pausing between the two words for a breath.

Vanellope shook her head.

"That's astounding," said Gene. "By the way, thanks for- ah!"

One of the creatures was moving towards both of them again. Calhoun, who had witnessed the entire scene, opened her hoverboard and leaped atop it. No sooner had she gunned its engine, however, than one of the creatures tackled her, knocking her from the hoverboard. Calhoun felt herself pressed down onto the ground briefly, before the creature began to rise into the air, caught in Ralph's grip. Ralph smashed the beast against the floor, before hurling it's corpse beside that of the one from above the portal, which he had left in a thoroughly broken state.

"Thanks," said Calhoun, rising to her feet. "Now, where's my hoverboard?"

"Look!" Ralph cried, pointing. Calhoun followed the direction of his finger. The remaining two beasts had backed Ralph and Gene into one of the passageways and were blocking the opening, preparing to spring within. Before Ralph or Calhoun could react, the hoverboard smashed into the archway above the entrance to the passage. An energy field sprang up between the startled creatures and their intended prey, prompting yowls of fury.

"Hey, Ralph!" Calhoun heard Vanellope calling. "Ralphie! Sarge! Get us out of here!"

Before Ralph and Calhoun could make a move, the two beasts whirled about and charged them, forcing them towards another passageway. Their attack was swift, and before either arcade character knew it, they'd been forced into the passage.

"I've still got plenty of ammo left," said Calhoun. "And you've got your fists. If we can just-"

She stopped talking as a red light blinked atop one of the creatures. Both of them stopped growling and backed out of the passage's entrance.

"What's going on?" Ralph wondered aloud.

One of the creatures reached a paw out towards a space that was just out of Ralph and Calhoun's sight. Another energy field sprang up, cutting them off from the main hall.

"Hey!" Ralph cried. "No!"

The creatures bared their teeth before walking slowly away and disappearing into one of the numerous unblocked passages.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**Gutted Headquarters**

Ralph slammed his fists against the energy field several times. Each time, they bounced off of the field with a loud crackle.

"We're not going to get through," said Calhoun. "There are no switches on this side, and I've nothing that could disrupt that field. We just have to try this passage."

"But what about Vanellope? What about Gene?" Ralph cried "We can't just leave them."

"Ralph," Calhoun said, her voice brimming with pent-up tension. "Ralph, don't assume you're the only one who's worried about them."

"I'm not," said Ralph. "But we've got to try to reach them."

"There's no way _to_ try!" Calhoun snapped. "Now pull yourself together and follow me." She spun about and began to walk down the passageway. She stopped when she realized Ralph wasn't following.

"Ralph," she said, still facing the passage. "I know what you're feeling. I feel it too. But all we can do now is keep going, and pray they're alright."

Ralph sighed heavily and turned away from the energy field.

* * *

The passage sloped upwards in a straight line. As Ralph and Calhoun moved further down its length, they began to notice doors lining the walls on both sides, in no particular pattern. Odd titles could be seen above the doors, such as _Alligator Chatbot, Titanic Stinks, _or _i luv serael_. The most bizarre one in their eyes was _lolkitties!_

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" said Ralph.

"No clue," Calhoun replied. "Let's keep moving."

Several yards ahead, the passage made a sharp turn to the left. When they reached the bend, Calhoun and Ralph peered cautiously around the corner. There was nobody in sight.

"You'd think there'd be more people around," said Ralph.

"Unless those beasts scared them all away," said Calhoun. She leaned against a nearby door. "It's just a good thing we've got your fists along, because-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the door she was leaning on gave way with a loud crunch. Calhoun caught the edge of the door-frame and just barely managed to steady herself.

"A really weak door," she said, turning to see what lay beyond the now exposed opening.

"What is it?" Ralph asked.

Calhoun didn't reply. Instead, she passed through the doorway into the room beyond. Ralph followed her inside, and then paused to gaze at the new surroundings.

The room appeared to be an office- or at least, what was left of one. A large table was broken in half, both pieces lying near the far wall. Torn cushions and the shattered remnants of what had once been chairs were scattered haphazardly about. A set of metallic double doors could be glimpsed to the right. Along the walls, words could be seen, describing a human whom Ralph couldn't identify, along with various political sentiments.

"What a mess," Ralph said aloud.

"Yes, isn't it?" said a voice neither Ralph nor Calhoun recognized. Both of them turned to see a lean man, of average height, with a scruffy grey beard and a baseball cap leaning against the back wall.

"Who are you?" Calhoun demanded, her hand resting against the handle of the blaster at her hip.

"Not someone who plans to harm you, at any rate," said the man. "Just call me Cool Old Guy with a Baseball Cap."

"That's a long name," said Ralph. "What're you doing in here?"

"Observing," said the man. "As for name- you can call me COG then, I suppose."

"What's that mean?"

"It's short for 'Cool Old Guy'," said the man.

Ralph and Calhoun said nothing.

"Look, I'm trying to make this as simple as I can for you guys," said the man. "I think it's clear you're not from around here."

"We aren't about to tell you who we are," said Calhoun. "We don't know you."

"That's quite alright, I already know," said COG. "Sergeant Calhoun and Wreck-It Ralph, I believe?"

"How'd you know that?" Ralph asked.

"This is the internet, friend," COG replied. "All the information you ever wanted to know, and all the information you never wanted to know- it's all here." He smirked. "In truth, it was just a matter of finding the right website."

"Website?" Calhoun arched an eyebrow.

"You're in one," said COG. "In this case, a blog."

Ralph and Calhoun stared blankly.

"Web-log," COG explained. "A log that's kept on the web. Say, you're pretty green. Have you ever even been on the internet?"

"We've never needed to before now," said Calhoun.

"We wouldn't have come if we hadn't needed to," Ralph added. "Not after you guys threw SANG at us."

COG's eyes bulged. His nostrils flared, and he snorted furiously.

"SANG." He spat contemptuously on the ground. "Good riddance to them. Most of them never came back from their little excursion to Litwak's."

"We're from Litwak's," said Ralph. "And all of them are dead, including that kid who led them- what was her name? Oh right, Portia."

COG flinched at the sound of the name.

"That little upstart?" he said. "Dead? Again, good riddance. We didn't all like SANG around here, you know. So it'll probably please you that some friends of mine dealt with their remnants around the end of September. They're all either dead or in hiding. As for this blog-" He gestured at their surroundings. "This was their headquarters."

"Quite a dump," said Ralph.

"Now it is," said COG. "Folks don't really come here anymore, except for me. I like to gloat at the thought of those bigots' demise."

Calhoun looked thoughtful for a moment. "If you hated SANG as much as you say," she said at last, "and if you know about our games, I suppose it couldn't hurt to ask if you've seen Fix-It Felix Jr."

"Fix-It?" said COG. "You're on his trail. He ran right around the bend in the passageway outside not two hours back. Jabbering strange stuff, he was. If its Fix-It you want, keep going the way you were- you were going that way, right?"

"Yes."

"Then as you were," said COG. "I'll wish you luck. I'd help you if I could, but I've got places to be shortly."

"Very well then," Calhoun said curtly. "Thank you for your help."

"Strange guy," Ralph commented when he and Calhoun were well away from the blog.

"I didn't know whether to fully trust him," said Calhoun. "I still don't. But if he says Felix went this way, then this way we'll go."

"It can't hurt to try," said Ralph.

"We've nowhere else to go," Calhoun replied. "And anyway, a clue's a clue. We'll follow the trail and see if we chance on any more evidence. Meantime, keep your eyes peeled for threats."

"Got it."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

**The Mayor and the Citizen**

It had not been a minute since the departure of the iron wolves before Gene could feel the fear eating away at him inside.

_No weapons, separated from them, no way to rejoin them that I can see- how much worse can this get?_

Beside him, Vanellope was staring at the wall of energy cutting them off from the room, her arms hanging slackly at her sides.

_I've got to watch _her_? I think matters just got worse._

"They're gone," Vanellope said quietly, breathing quickly. "Just like that…they're gone."

_Better reassure her._

"Stay calm," said Gene. "Just stay calm. I'll find a way through this passage and I'll get us back to them."

"They're gone," Vanellope said once more, seemingly ignoring. "I couldn't do anything. They're gone. And who knows if I'll see them again?"

"Enough!" Gene snapped. "Man up…er, I mean…" He frowned. "That doesn't make sense because you're girl, but-"

Vanellope clutched her arms tightly about her body, gritting her teeth together.

"Snap out of it!" Gene cried. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her vigorously. Instinctively, Vanellope triggered her glitching ability, moving quickly out of Gene's grip. She crashed into the force field, yelping as she came into the contact with it. She hit the ground hard, and Gene was upon her in moments.

"Stay calm," he said. "You're not going to solve anything by freaking out."

And then he saw the look on her face. Slowly, awkwardly, not looking her in the eye, Gene drew Vanellope into a sitting position.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he said. "So don't worry about that."

Vanellope gave a small nod.

"So get up and follow me," Gene continued. "We'll forge a path ahead together."

"Quality time with the mayor," said Vanellope, standing up. "I guess I can enjoy that."

Gene sighed.

_Here we go._

"But," Vanellope continued, "I'm…"

"Chin up," said Gene. "Turnabout, face the passage."

Vanellope turned to observe the passage.

"That's it," said Gene. "You're doing just fine. Now, stay at my side. We'll find a path."

Gene scraped the dust from his jacket, straightened his tie once more, and set off down the passage. Vanellope glanced back towards the room they had left one last time, before trotting after him.

_I guess I do encouragement pretty well after all_, Gene thought to himself. _She's calmed down a bit._

* * *

"I gotta go," Vanellope said in an exaggerated, whiny voice.

"Vanellope," Gene said curtly, "that's the fifth time you've used that joke."

"The seventh, actually"

"Whatever," said Gene. "It's still getting old."

They had been walking for at least an hour, by Gene's reckoning. During the latter half of that time, he'd had to put up with Vanellope's sense of humor almost constantly.

_It's just so annoying it's ridiculous. I know she's trying to calm herself down, but isn't there a less irritating way she could do it?_

"Hey, come on Mr. Mayor," said Vanellope. "Have you been reading the signs above the doors in this place? Who ever heard of a place like _KnowYourMeme_?"

"Whoever made the sign," said Gene.

"And what's _Instagram_?"

"I couldn't say."

"And have you ever heard of _Wikipedia_?"

"I can't say that I have."

"And what about-"

"Vanellope,"said Gene, "please shut up."

"Fine, fine, Mr. Bossy," said Vanellope. She went silent for a few moments, before piping up again.

"What's _Snowball_?"

Gene sighed. "Of all the people I came with on this trip, why did I have to get stuck with you?"

"Hey!" Vanellope protested, sounding hurt. "I saved your life."

"For which I'll always be grateful," said Gene. "But that doesn't give you license to annoy me constantly."

"I'm not trying to," Vanellope said in a small voice.

"But you are," said Gene. "Maybe you just can't help yourself, I don't know, but _please_ try anyway. Right now you're just getting on my _nerves_!"

His frustration boiling over, Gene slammed a fist into the nearest door. Slowly, the door creaked open, revealing an expanse of tundra beyond.

Gene and Vanellope both stared at the environment within.

"I guess that'll be _Snowball_," said Vanellope.

Gene read the sign above the door. "I believe you're right."

"Well," said Vanellope, "I always wanted to make a snow-angel."

"Wait!" Gene cried. "We don't know if it's safe."

It was too late; Vanellope had already run inside. Fuming, Gene ran in after her. Moments later, a snowball struck him on the side of the head and sent him tumbling into the snow.

"Sorry!" a voice cried from across the tundra. "You're in the middle of a war-zone, so you might want to get out."

Gene sat up and shook his head. Glancing at the area to the left of the door, he saw a snow fort with a boy in red winter garb behind it.

"What-?"

Another snowball hit Gene from behind. Crawling away, he stood up and looked behind him. There was another snow fort there, with a boy in blue winter garb behind it.

"Vanellope, where are you?" Gene shouted.

"Here," said Vanellope, glitching towards him from a grove of trees not far beyond. "This place is cold, let's get out of here."

"You didn't come with winter clothes," said Gene, "And I didn't come to get my suit ruined like this." He dusted snow from his jacket and headed towards the door with Vanellope at his side.

"Bye old fella!" one of the boys called as Gene stepped out into the passage and closed the door behind him.

"Did you make your snow-angel?" Gene asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Yeah, I did," Vanellope replied. "That's how I found out it was too cold in there. By the way, your moustache is all white."

Gene frantically clawed the snow from his moustache.

"Much better," said Vanellope.

"Now," said Gene, "no more rushing into strange places like that."

"I know, I know," Vanellope said. "I got carried away. It's just…I'm antsy."

"I know that," said Gene. "But I'm responsible for you right now, and I don't want you getting hurt."

"That's noble of you."

Gene started. It wasn't Vanellope who had spoken.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

**Gale**

Gene and Vanellope looked about. Neither of them could see anyone.

"Hey, are you a ghost?" said Vanellope.

"Nope," said the voice. A lean man of average height dropped down in front of them from the ceiling.

"Ugh," said the man. "You have no idea how hard it is to cling to the ceiling with adhesive gloves for so long."

Gene took in the man's red and yellow harlequin patterned suit at a glance.

"Um…"

"I can see I've made you speechless," said the man. "I do that sometimes, I believe."

"Who are you?" Gene said at last.

"Why, I'm irritating comedic relief of course," said the man. "You can call me Gale. They say I was born in one. At least, so my backstory goes when _I_ tell it. On a sinking ship, I believe it was. Of course, I also love the sound of my own voice-"

"I noticed," said Gene.

"-if not quite as much as you love yours," Gale finished.

"I do _not_ love the sound of my own voice," said Gene.

"Oh? Then why were you shouting all this while? All I had to do to find you was follow the complaining."

Vanellope chuckled.

"And the lame jokes," Gale added.

"Hey!" Vanellope exclaimed. "Not funny."

"You know what Vanellope?" said Gene. "I take it all back. This guy's way more annoying than you."

"Yeah, well, when he's gone, you'll just go back to being annoyed at me."

"Not necessarily- agh!" Gene threw his hands in the air.

"You know," said Gale, turning towards Vanellope. "If you were over eighteen, I'd totally ship you with this guy." He glanced off into the distance. "Not that age is ever a barrier for some."

He looked back at Vanellope and Gene, who were staring at him in total confusion.

"We'll just pray that one's a sinking ship of another sort," he said. "And besides, neither of you have got anything on Helen of Troy. Now _she _was the face that launched a thousand ships…I just lost you both, didn't I?"

Gene gestured towards Vanellope. "Come on, let's get out of here." He began to walk forward again, Vanellope following him readily.

"Wait!" Gale called. Gene and Vanellope ignored him.

"Wait!" he said, leaping over their heads and landing on his feet in front of them. "Hold on."

"Get out of the way please," said Gene. "Please, before I lose my temper."

"Time to drop the act, then," said Gale. "I can be serious as well." Indeed, Gale had assumed a serious expression.

"Time to be honest with me, Gene. You're not from around here."

"You know my name?" Gene asked, surprised.

"I do indeed," said Gale. "I also know that of your friend there: Princess Vanellope."

"Actually, it's Citizen Vanellope," the racer corrected. "I'm only a princess when the game's being played."

"As you please," said Gale. "And before you ask how I know your names- I looked them up on the web."

"What-"

"It's okay Gene," said Gale. "I know this may seem like a shock. But really, once you come to know the internet, you won't be so surprised. You can find information on pretty much every game ever made if you can find the right website."

"What are websites?" Vanellope asked.

"Well, every one of these doors opens onto one," said Gale. "Some have games, others don't. You just came out of an online game."

"And you're from an online game?"

Gale looked sharply at Vanellope, his expression tense, before relaxing his expression.

"Sorry," he said. "I've got…things on my mind. But yes, I'm from an online game."

"If you don't mind my asking," said Gene, whose curiosity had now been piqued by Gale's sudden shift away from bizzarity, "how can your game function when you aren't in it?"

"When an online character is outside of his game," said Gale, "he's still within it in every copy except for the one he leaves. So the game will still function on every website except the one he leaves from. And he can only leave one copy at a time." Gale blinked. "I know- it's confusing. None of us ever really figured out how it works either. But we know it does."

"I don't get you," said Gene. "You show up and make me want to claw my eyes out, and now you act like a different person entirely. Why?"

Gale winked. "Sometimes, it's just fun messing with people," he said.

"Not for me, it isn't," said Gene. "I'm rather grateful it was just an act."

"Not entirely, it wasn't," said Gale. "I honestly would ship you two if Princess- er, _Citizen_ Vanellope were over eighteen."

"What _is_ shipping, anyway?" Vanellope asked.

"Don't concern yourself with it," Gale replied. "Try to find out, you'll just discover things you'll wish you'd never encountered."

"I think I'd take his word for it, Vanellope," said Gene. "We don't know this place, and he does."

"Alright," said Vanellope. "I'll believe him."

"Good," said Gale. "Now that you've effectively promised to avoid ninety-nine percent of the content on the internet, let's go."

"Go where?" Gene asked.

"Wherever you're going," said Gale. "It's plain enough you two can't take care of yourselves in this place."

"How dare you?" Gene exclaimed. "I think…" His voice trailed off.

"I guess we could use a little help," he admitted in a calmer voice. "You know the big room back at other end of this passage?"

"The one by the path to the modem?" said Gale. "Yes, I know it."

"What's a modem?" Vanellope asked.

"Where you entered before you went through the portal to the internet," said Gale. "You two really don't much about this place, do you?"

"Not really," Gene admitted.

"Anyway," said Gale, "as I was saying, I _do_ know that room. Why do you ask?"

"A force field of some kind cut us off from it," said Gene. "We need to get back to it."

"Force field, eh?" said Gale. "I'm afraid I can't help you past that. You'll have to take the long way around back to the room. Follow me, I'll show you."

With that, Gale spun about and began heading down the passage.

"Should we go with him?" Vanellope asked.

"Sure, why not?" said Gene. "Just keep your guard up."

"Hurry up," said Gale, who had stopped as soon as he realized he wasn't being followed. "I'm sure you two haven't got all day any more than I do."

Gene and Vanellope hurried forward to catch up with Gale.

"You two done with your clandestine meeting that I could hear every word of?" Gale asked as they reached his side.

"Yes," Gene said with a huff.

"Good," said Gale. "Let's go."

And with that, the strange character resumed walking.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

**Reunited**

Gale, Vanellope noticed, had a sort of manic energy to his movements. His pace was steady, but brisk for long periods, with occasional bouts of alternation between sprinting and abrupt stops. He was constantly punctuating his comments with hand gestures as well. All in all, he seemed to her like a man who didn't know how to keep still.

Beside her, Gene was walking steadily, keeping his eyes firmly on the path they were taking. He seemed as though he were merely tolerating Gale's loopy physicality for the sake of having a knowledgeable guide.

And indeed, Gale was knowledgeable. He'd been able to answer Vanellope's questions about almost every website they passed, sprinkling his responses with lively anecdotes about things he'd seen or heard. Sometimes, even Gene was intrigued enough to break his silence and join in the conversations.

_Or is he more interested than he lets on? _Vanellope wondered. _He's had that look the last few times, like he's trying to hide something._

Something large and green strode into view. Vanellope shrieked in surprise, while Gene darted in front of her, his fists raised, eyes staring down the strange beast.

_Strange is the word_ Vanellope thought. _A green "s" with a dragon head and stick legs, tiny dragon wings-_

The beast turned slightly.

_-and a big, beefy arm?_

"Oh, hi Trogdor," said Gale. "Off to achieve burnination? Good, very good."

Trogdor glanced at Gene and Vanellope.

"Visitors from one of the arcades," Gale explained.

Trogdor inclined his head in what Vanellope assumed was a gesture of greeting. This done, he continued on his way. Gene lowered his fists and watched the creature go.

"Trogdor wouldn't hurt either of you," said Gale, as he, Gene, and Vanellope resumed walking. "He only burninates peasants. And the countryside."

"Oh," said Gene. "That's…interesting."

"By the way," Gale continued, "which arcade did you two say you were from?"

"We didn't say," said Gene.

"Mr. Litwak's," said Vanellope.

Gene gave her a sharp glance.

"What?" said Vanellope. "We can tell him that, can't we?"

"Litwak's?" said Gale.

"Yes," said Gene. "That's where we're from."

"Oh."

Gale's voice was unusually subdued.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Vanellope asked him. "You got some problem with that?"

"No, no problem," Gale replied. "It's just…I never expected we'd be getting visitors from Litwak's Arcade. Not after what…what happened."

"And I assure you," said Gene, "we wouldn't have bothered coming if we didn't have our reasons."

"I'm sure," said Gale. "At any rate, please believe me when I say I'm glad you survived."

"Thanks," said Vanellope. "We're glad to be alive."

Gene said nothing.

* * *

Sergeant Calhoun bent down to examine the newest set of boot prints she had discovered.

"Still Felix's," she said. "He must have gotten his shoes really dirty to leave a trail so continuous."

Beside her, Ralph chuckled.

"And I thought _I_ was the dirty one."

"You aren't too bad anymore," said Calhoun. "It's just that you should bathe more often."

"You referencing that weird quote we found on that website?"

Calhoun smirked. "This whole place is weird. I mean, who thought making a room with a shoddy animation of a guy screaming "Khan" was a useful thing to do?"

"I don't know," said Ralph, shrugging.

"Well- wait, what's this?"

"What's what?" Ralph asked.

Calhoun had moved towards a spot on the wall where a phrase had been scrawled. Ralph came over to the wall and read the phrase aloud.

"Wayback Machine."

He scratched his chin.

"It's in Felix's writing," he said. "But what's it supposed to mean?"

"Presumably, it's where he's headed," said Calhoun. "Classic mind control cliché. The controlled individual writes odd words and symbols on walls that have some sort of meaning. Whatever it is that's controlling him, it isn't exactly an original character."

"You aren't so original yourself," said Ralph.

"None of us are," said Calhoun. She turned towards the pathway again.

"We keep walking then. Only, we've one little problem."

"How do we find out where this 'Wayback Machine' is?"

"Exactly."

"If only that COG guy we're here, we could ask him," said Ralph. "He seems to know a fair bit about this place, living here and all."

"We'll just have to manage on our own, I guess."

Ralph sighed.

"I know," said Calhoun. "I'm wondering too. But think of it this way. The path has been curving to the left all this time. We've got to pass the area where we last saw them sooner or later. If they're still there, we'll probably bump into them."

"In how many pieces?"

"No despair, soldier!" Calhoun snapped. "We can't afford that here."

"Alright," said Ralph.

They continued on their way, trudging onward carefully, on the alert for the slightest sound.

* * *

Another hour had passed in this monotonous yet tense manner when Ralph finally stopped, his head down.

"Out of energy?" Calhoun asked. "We're just getting started."

"It'll be a new day by now," said Ralph.

"That's nothing to be bothered by," said Calhoun, "at least, not yet. We've still got time."

"To find them too?"

"Enough," said Calhoun. "No more despair. I won't have it. I've already told you that if we keep going the way we're going-"

She stopped talking as three figures came around the corner. Two of them were Vanellope and Gene, while the third was someone she didn't recognize.

"-we'll bump into them eventually," Calhoun finished.

Ralph didn't reply. He was already holding his arms wide open, waiting for Vanellope to finish making the leap onto his shoulder.

"One pleasant surprise this day," said Calhoun as Vanellope glitched into Ralph's embrace. She grinned. "Optimism can be a useful thing sometimes."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

**Gale's Offer**

Vanellope leaped out of Ralph's arms, laughing with delight.

"You're alive!" she cried happily. "You guys are alive. Oh, this is just so great!" She back flipped into the air, only to crash right into Gale. The internet character steadied himself against the wall and looked down at the racer sprawled at his feet.

"Oh, my manners!" Vanellope cried, leaping to her feet. "Ralph, Sarge, this is Gale. He's been helping us get back to that big room. Except we haven't found it yet. But we don't need to since we've found you guys, and-"

Gene cut her off with a raised hand. "Don't talk their ears off," he said.

"Sorry," said Vanellope.

"Will you look at that?" Calhoun remarked. "Vanellope's listening to you. What happened to you two?"

"Plenty," said Gene. "But meantime, if you'd like to introduce yourselves-" He gestured towards Gale.

"No need," said Gale. "I've looked these two up on the web as well. Sergeant Calhoun and Wreck-It Ralph, I believe."

Ralph looked Gale up and down.

"So your name's Gale, huh?" said Ralph. "What are you, a clown or something?"

"A harlequin friend, a harlequin," Gale replied. "Or at least, my developers liked the costume of that old stock character."

"And you've been helping our friends here?"

"Indeed I have," said Gale. "They wanted a way back to that one room by the portal. Though apparently, it was you and the sergeant that they wanted to find."

"Decent of you," said Ralph. "Not much I can do for you before you go, other than to say thank you." He extended his hand.

"Now just a moment," said Gale. "You don't imagine I'm going to leave you four here alone. None of you have ever been on the internet, have you? You've never left Litwak's before now."

"How do you know where we're from?" Ralph asked, lowering his hand.

"Vanellope told him," said Gene.

"Perhaps it was a bit rash of her, seeing as she didn't know me," said Gale. "But I assure you, I'm not going to hurt any of you. In fact, I'd like to help you."

"We don't need your help," said Ralph. "Besides, even if we did, we wouldn't want to bother you."

"Hold on, Ralph," said Calhoun. "He might be onto something." She turned to Gale.

"It's true we've never been to the internet before," she said. "But we aren't leaving yet. Not before we find our friend -and my husband- Fix-It Felix Jr."

Briefly, she explained what had happened to Felix.

"We don't know where to even begin looking for him though," said Gene.

"Actually, I think we do," said Calhoun. "At least, Ralph and I do. We found his handwriting on the wall back down where we came from, with the words "Wayback Machine."

"Wayback Machine?" said Vanellope. "What's that?"

"Let me guess," said Gene, looking at Gale. "You know what it is."

"Of course," said Gale. "Every internet character does. It's a transportation device; a portal to the older parts of the web that it would otherwise take days for the likes of us to reach."

"If you could point us in the right direction, we'd be much obliged," said Gene.

"I'll do better than that," said Gale. "I'll take you there myself."

"You don't have to do that-" Ralph began, but Gale held up a finger to silence him.

"No!" he said sharply. "There are countless dangers here for the unwary. SANG is gone, but they were hardly the only threat."

"Like those iron wolves?" Vanellope asked.

"You ran into _them_?" said Gale.

"That's how we got separated," said Vanellope.

"I thought you said it was a force field?"

"That too."

"You know these creatures?" Calhoun asked.

"I've tangled with them before," said Gale. "I don't think they like me much- not after I burnt their old leader into a crisp."

"I guess they don't like me either now," said Ralph. "I smashed two of them to pieces."

Gale blinked. "No," he said. "I don't think they like you much at all."

"So why'd they lock Sergeant Calhoun and I behind a force field instead of finishing us off?"

"They did that?" Gale frowned. "That's weird. I'd have thought they would have gone for your throat. Unless…"

He turned abruptly towards a side passage.

"Come on," he said. "Follow me, this way."

"What is it?" Calhoun asked, as she, Ralph, Gene, and Vanellope followed Gale. "What do you fear?"

"There was a blinking red light on the back of one of them, wasn't there?"

"Yes there was," Calhoun replied. "Any clue what it means?"

"There are at least three possible meanings I'm aware of," said Gale. "The most common one is 'not yet'. If I'm right…they'll be back with reinforcements. You'll need to find your friend and get off of the web as fast as possible."

"What about you?" Vanellope asked.

"I'll be fine," said Gale, stopping at a bend in the passage. "It's you four I'm worried about. I need to guide you all safely to and from the Wayback Machine…if you'll have my help?"

"You seem like you know you're way about this place," said Calhoun. "I'll take you up on your offer. I believe I speak for the rest of us also?" She glanced at Ralph, Vanellope, and Gene each in turn.

"I suppose," said Ralph.

"Yeah," said Vanellope.

Gene gave a curt, affirmative nod.

"Then that's settled," said Calhoun. "You can be our guide." Her eyes narrowed. "But no funny business- if you take my meaning."

"I do," said Gale. "And I say again that I truly want to help you."

"Good to hear," said Calhoun. "Now, if you'll lead the way, we'll follow."

"Excellent!" said Gale. "Helping the fair damsel find the gentleman in distress- how interesting this will be."

"Who're you calling 'damsel'?" Calhoun asked in a stern voice.

"Oh right, er…the fair sergeant," said Gale. "My apologies."

"I can go with that," said Calhoun.

"The compliment or the apology?"

"The apology, dunderhead," said Calhoun. "I haven't got time for flattery."

"Very well," said Gale. "Follow me."

"Have I mentioned he's a little odd?" Gene whispered to Calhoun as they continued walking.

"We all have our quirks, Gene," Calhoun replied. "Just as long as he doesn't play us false, I can put up with him."


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

**_Moonstone Empire_**

After another three hours, Gale allowed them a halt. Ralph, Gene, Vanellope and Calhoun had been up for almost twenty-four hours straight, and for all that their status as game characters gave them more energy than humans, they still needed rest.

"I know this area," said Gale. "This stretch of the net usually doesn't have many visitors. It's mostly fansites for obscure console games. Humans like them, but most internet characters pay them little heed."

From somewhere far off in the distance, there came the sound of howling. Gale threw open the nearest door. As soon the four arcade characters were inside, he entered himself, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

Of all the sights Ralph had expected to see inside the website, the absolute last was a picture of Portia.

She wasn't the only one on the image. Beside her, ever so slightly closer to the image's center, was a young man of seventeen, with close-cropped dark hair and a plain brown suit. In the background was an expanse of blue sky with several small flying machines circling a battle-damaged, steampunk-style airship. Over their heads was a title:

**Sacred Diamond: The Largest ****_Moonstone Empire_**** Fansite on the Web**

At the bottom right of the image were the words "Last Updated March 2006".

Ralph glanced to either side of him. To his left, Calhoun and Gene wore looks of surprise and curiosity. To his right, Vanellope looked as though she didn't know whether to feel disturbed, or merely sad.

"The wolves aren't close by," said Gale, coming up behind them. "They wouldn't be making so much noise of they were in the immediate vicinity…"

His voice trailed off as he saw the image.

"So, you recognize her?" Gale asked.

"She looks happier here," said Ralph, still looking at the image. "She looks nothing like the grump I met."

"I spoke to her a few times, when she first came on the web," said Gale. "Back before she joined SANG. I honestly think she hated herself."

"What do you mean?" Vanellope asked, turning to face Gale.

"I've researched her game before," Gale replied. "Her in-game character arc was kind of your average self-acceptance thing, gain self-esteem and all that. So you could say it was in her code to believe she could be better than she was. But I think her discovery of the internet sent those thoughts of hers off in a very dangerous direction."

"That's pretty sad," Ralph admitted. "Still doesn't excuse what she did though."

"And this other person beside her," said Calhoun, gesturing to the dark-haired youth. "Who's he?"

"Why that'd be her brother Darien," said Gale. "The main protagonist of _Moonstone Empire_. The guy the gamers would play as. Looks like your standard, cookie-cutter hero, don't you think?"

Ralph glanced back at Darien.

"He's kind of bland," he admitted.

"Except for the suit," said Gene. "That's pretty spiffy."

Ralph gave Gene a sidelong look.

"What?" said Gene, shrugging. "I've an appreciation for cultured dress."

"I can see that," said Gale. "Nice tie, by the way."

Gene nodded politely in response.

"Fine you pair of dandies, fine," said Calhoun. "I've got one more question. Did this Darien, or anyone else from this game, ever show up on the internet?"

"Portia was the only one any of us ever knew of," said Gale. "When we first met, she told me her game was near to breaking." He paused, before adding: "I think she left all her co-workers to die."

Gene blinked. "That's…that's horrible."

"That's Portia," Gale replied bluntly. He gestured at the bare ground around them.

"Better get some rest," he said. "I'll take the first watch. We leave no later than seven hours from now."

"First thing's first," said Calhoun. She removed her scanner from her belt and quickly scoured the area.

"No life forms," she said, placing the scanner back into her belt.

"All the same, let's not be too loud," said Gale. "If the iron wolves pass by, they'll definitely be on the alert for noise. The door will muffle our sounds if we stay fairly quiet, but no raising voices."

"Got it," said Ralph. He stretched himself out on the floor and closed his eyes.

"I'm a light sleeper," he heard Calhoun say to Gale as he drifted off to sleep. "So if something happens, I'll be aware of it."

"Good," said Gale. "I'll let you take the watch after me, then."

* * *

Felix hurried along the passage, his mind working furiously.

_I'm terribly late. My master will be most disappointed._

_Disappointed? He's the one who lost me, letting me get kicked off of his belt in the fight…but no, I'm the one who chose to step into that arcade until the coast was clear. And then I got discovered by that guy in the blue shirt._

Felix gave a confused blink.

_I _am_ the guy in the blue shirt. What's going on here?_

_Nothing, nothing too much. I just need to get back to my master._

He came to a stop before a door.

_This is the place_, he thought as he reached for the handle. Opening the door, he strode in. And there he was.

_The master. _

"I've returned," said Felix.

"In another person's body," said his master. "Why? You know not to bother those arcade characters. Why did you do it?"

"He discovered me," Felix heard himself say. "I couldn't let him blab. I had to take him with me."

_Wait, what?_ Felix wondered. _What did I just say? Am I referring to myself in the third person?_

"You made a mistake," said his master. "An understandable mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. Now, I will have to take you out of him."

Felix felt a hand press against his forehead. There was a sharp pain as something metallic emerged from his head. The pain increased, until it became too much to bear. And then he felt himself falling, falling into the icy depths of unconsciousness…


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Pair of Atoners**

"I'm back, dear glitch!" King Candy said with an amiable smile on his face. He hopped over to the spot on the grass where Vanellope standing. He came to a stop a few feet away and bowed mockingly.

"Oh, I'm forgetting!" he said, rising quickly. "You thtoped being princess. Prethident too. You're nothing now but an ordinary racer…who finally got a proper kart."

Vanellope tried to move, but vines snaked out of the ground, twisting around her ankles and binding her in place. She clenched her fists furiously.

"The old kart was great," she said. "It was…" She stopped, trying to hold back the tears.

"Go ahead," said King Candy. "Thay it. You prefer the old one. That dump. When your buddieth went to all that trouble to bake you a new one. Thome friend you are."

"It was my heart…"

King Candy's entire frame shook with laughter.

"Oh, ah hah, hoo hoo! What a thchmaltzy thing to thay!"

He stopped laughing.

"You and I both know thith ithn't jutht the kart," he said. "There'th our dear departed monthter of a doctor to think of, and all hith wicked cohortth…"

"He wasn't a monster!" Vanellope cried, the tears final sliding down her face.

"Change your mind tho thoon, glitch? Are you tho quick to forget what he did?"

At a gesture from King Candy, more vines sprang from the ground, wrapping around Vanellope's arms and stretching them out to her sides. King Candy hopped forward, unzipped her hoodie, and slid her shirt up far enough to expose a jagged scar just above her waist.

"The old brath knuckle woundth," he said. "A permanent reminder of what he did."

"And I'm still alive," Vanellope replied. "A permanent reminder of how he died." She sniffed.

"How he died…because of me."

King Candy laughed again. He slowly ran his finger along the length of another scar- this one a jagged, six inch mark below her ribs on her left side. Vanellope winced at first, and then shrieked.

"Bowie knivth," said King Candy, withdrawing his finger and allowing her shirt to slide back down. "Dangerouth weaponth."

He backed away a short distance from her.

"By the way," he said. "I think we both know that kart wathn't your heart. Elthe how would you thtill be thane?" He smirked. "No, your friendth are your heart. Lothe them, and you'll break. There'th no getting around it."

Vanellope stared dumbly at her old enemy. She had no comeback, no witty retort, no show of bravado to give. He was completely right.

She bowed her head. Her shoulders trembled; she began to cry softly.

Thorns grew out of the vines, piercing her flesh…

* * *

Vanellope's eyes snapped open. She sat up, only to realize her eyes were wet.

"Are you alright?" said a soft voice to her left. She turned to see Gale sitting beside her.

"You were crying just now," he said. "What happened? Bad dream?"

Vanellope glanced around at the others, who were all still asleep in other sections of the room. She looked back at Gale.

"Yeah…a bad dream," she admitted.

Gale retrieved a small handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Vanellope.

"Dry your eyes," he said.

When she had done so, he looked thoughtful.

"If you'll pardon my saying, Vanellope," he said, "I think you're on edge."

Vanellope sighed.

"I am," she said. "That's why I'm on this trip."

"That's pretty open of you," said Gale. "Do you trust me?"

"I'd like to," she replied.

"Share if you wish," Gale answered. "I'm not going anywhere- unless I spot something at the door of course."

He positioned himself against the wall so that the door to the passage was within his line of sight.

"Thanks," said Vanellope, holding the handkerchief out to Gale.

Gale closed her fingers over the cloth and pushed her hand away gently.

"Keep it," he said. "I've got others."

"I felt like I had to come," Vanellope said quietly. "I made a terrible mistake recently. Others lives depended on my silence. And when the test came, I broke. I talked, and people died."

She sighed once more.

"Now Felix is in trouble, and I have to help find him. I just have to, or…"

"Or you won't be able to forgive yourself?"

Vanellope nodded.

"I think I can relate to that," said Gale. "You see, I've got to help you and your friends."

"Why's that?"

"My life is…complicated," said Gale. "But I'll tell you just enough for you to understand."

"Okay."

"Vanellope," Gale continued, "when you look at me, do you see someone who would do something really mean?"

"I…don't know," said Vanellope. "Felix always tells me not to judge people by their looks."

"Well you shouldn't," said Gale. "You see, there are some people who I really need to ask forgiveness from. I did some really mean things that hurt them very badly. But I can't bring myself to ask their forgiveness until I've done something to atone for what I did. I feel I have to help somebody do something good.'

'When I heard about Felix going missing, I saw my chance. I need to help you guys find your friend and get you back to your home safely. When I've done that, then I can go to these people I hurt and say I'm sorry."

Vanellope's thoughts turned to Dr. Despair's last moments. Again, she saw the sword pass through his breast, saw him collapse into the arms of Portia's henchmen.

"I knew a guy who did some really, really bad stuff," she said. "He really hurt me. But in the end, I think he turned out good. He saved me from SANG agents."

She offered Gale a reassuring smile.

"So whatever you did…maybe you _can_ make up for it."

"Maybe I can," said Gale. "But I often wonder if these people will forgive me."

"I hope they do," said Vanellope.

"We'll see," Gale replied. "First, I need to see you and your friends through on your mission."

He stood up.

"I've got to wake Sergeant Calhoun so she can take the next watch," he said. "Sleep now, Vanellope. And be at peace."

Vanellope lay down again and closed her eyes. Soon, she had drifted off, into a sleep blessedly free of nightmares.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

**The Iron Wolves**

Ralph's eyes snapped open at the moment he felt a weight descending upon his shoulder.

"Hey, wake up lazybones!" he heard Vanellope cry. Grunting, Ralph shifted, allowing Vanellope to slide off of him.

"Come one, up you get," she said. "Come on Stinkbrain, upsidaisy."

Ralph sat up abruptly and turned to face his friend.

"That fast enough for you?" he asked her.

"Two minutes," he heard Gene say. "A new record." Standing up, Ralph turned to see the mayor sliding his watch back into his pocket.

"You _timed_ it?"

Gene shrugged. "Don't look at me. It was Vanellope's idea."

Ralph looked from Gene to Vanellope, and back again. He burst out laughing.

"That's- that's actually pretty funny," Ralph admitted, wiping tears of merriment from his eyes.

For a split second, he saw a smile flit across Gene's face. Then the mayor became as poker-faced as he had been before.

"I saw that," said Ralph. "Don't think I didn't."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Gene.

Beside him, Ralph heard Vanellope trying, and failing, to hold back her own chuckles.

"Hate to be a killjoy," said Gale, walking towards them, "but you guys have got to keep quieter. We don't want the iron wolves coming down on us all of a sudden."

"Right," said Ralph, his laughter subsiding at once. "I forgot. Just got a little carried away."

"Sergeant Calhoun is out in the passage checking for life forms," Gale continued. "If you all will follow me out there, she should be done soon."

"You sleep okay?" Ralph asked Vanellope as they both headed for the door.

"Not at first," she replied. "But then…well, I went back to sleep and no more nightmares."

"That's something, then," said Ralph. "Hopefully, they'll go away entirely."

He spared the picture of Portia and Darien one last glance. The eyes of the two siblings seemed to be watching him, marking his every move. He shook his head.

_Don't be an idiot_ he told himself. _It's just an image. It's not alive. And Portia's dead. She's not coming back._

* * *

Ralph watched as Sergeant Calhoun tucked the scanner back into her belt.

"Nothing?" he asked her. "You sure?"

"I already said I'm not picking up anything," she replied. Then the scanner beeped.

"Hold a sec- that might be something."

There was loud clanking in front of them. An iron wolf emerged from around a bend in the passage ahead. Its teeth were bared in a snarl, its yellow eyes narrowed.

The wolf stopped a few paces away.

"It stopped," said Ralph. "Why did it stop?"

Suddenly, Ralph heard loud growling behind him. Sharp iron claws sank into his shoulders, forcing him to the ground.

"It's a trap!" Gene cried.

Gale laughed at this remark, even as he seized the tail of the wolf that was attacking Ralph. He gave it a sharp tug. The iron wolf gave a howl of pain and spun about, sending Gale crashing into the wall of the passage. Ralph climbed upright and grasped the wolf in both hands. He duge his fingers deeply into the creature's body and pulled his arms apart, ripping it in half.

"Ralph!" Calhoun called. "A little help here?"

Ralph turned to see the sergeant emptying shot after shot into the other wolf. The blasts were keeping it at bay, but they didn't seem to be doing much damage.

"No problem," said Ralph. He hurried towards the last wolf, seized it in is grip, and smashed it down onto the floor.

"I've no weapon," Gene remarked. "I feel so useless."

Gale, who had risen to his feet once again, offered him a brief grin.

"Look on the bright side," he said. "You got to use a meme."

"A what?"

There was more clanking and a flash of gleaming metal as another iron wolf hurried forward from behind them and leaped into the air. Sailing over Calhoun's head, it landed next to Vanellope, pinning her to the wall with its forepaws. Two more followed after it, both leaping directly at Ralph.

"They're learning too well!" Calhoun cried. "Where do I shoot without killing you?"

Beside her, Ralph had managed to shake off one of the wolves. It lay stunned on the ground, while the other still clung to his back.

"Gene- grab its tail!" he managed to gasp out. Gene did so at once, and gave a sharp tug. The wolf's grip relaxed, allowing Ralph to send it smashing into the other, which was in the process of standing up. Both creatures were smashed by the impact.

"Vanellope!" Gene exclaimed. Where is she?"

At the sound of frantic, metallic movements, Gene, Ralph and Calhoun turned. Astride the back of the remaining iron wolf, Gale had both of his arms wrapped firmly about the creature's neck, desperately holding its snapping jaws away from a stunned Vanellope. Gale squeezed his arms hard against the wolf's neck; the metal bent, and then cracked. The wolf screamed and hurled Gale from its back onto the ground. It whirled about, preparing to seize Gale's head in its jaws. Before it could strike, a blow from Ralph's fist sent it smashing into the wall, to rise no more.

Gale climbed to his feet. Vanellope had already done the same and was tottering towards Ralph, her balance shaky.

"You hurt?" Ralph asked her.

"Just...just rattled," she replied. "Nothing broken…"

She dropped to her knees.

"Carry me?" she said. "Please? I can't walk yet."

Ralph picked her gently up in his arms. He turned to face Gale.

"And you?"

"Bruised, but alive," said Gale. "You'd better look to your shoulders though- they're bleeding."

"Just scratches," said Ralph. "I'll be fine."

"Better cleanse them at least," said Calhoun.

"Really sergeant-"

"Sit down!" Calhoun ordered.

Ralph set Vanellope onto the ground and then sat down himself. Calhoun briefly checked her scanners. Upon confirming that there were no other life-forms in the immediate vicinity, she selected the requisite supplies from her tool belt and set about cleaning Ralph's wounds.

"You've got an impressive array of stuff on that belt," said Gale.

"And you've got a fair bit of strength," Calhoun replied. "You cracked that thing's neck."

"And almost broke my own arms in the process," said Gale. "They hurt like crazy. Got any painkiller in that belt of yours?"

Calhoun tossed him a packet.

"Swallow that," she said.

"Futuristic stuff," said Gale. "Cool."

He opened the packet and swallowed the pill inside.

"Goes down easily," he added.

Vanellope stood up. Slowly, carefully, she walked towards Gale.

"Thanks," she said. "You saved my life."

"I did what any decent person would have done," Gale replied, averting his eyes from her face. "Nothing unusual in that."

"Don't be so modest," said Vanellope.

"On the contrary," said Gale, "I'm not nearly modest enough- at least sometimes I'm not." He turned towards the path once more.

"We'd better keep going," he said. "If there are any more iron wolves on the prowl, we can't afford to wait around for them."

Ralph picked Vanellope up in his arms once more and followed Gale, Gene, and Calhoun down the passage.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

**The Wayback Machine**

The longer they walked, the more the emptiness of the passageways began to strike Gene as odd. He'd noticed it before, but he had reasoned there would be more characters. Instead, apart from the iron wolves, Trogdor and the two boys in winter gear had been the only ones.

_The place isn't a wasteland. An entire band of all sorts of characters invaded us from here, and I highly doubt they were the majority of the population. So where _is_ everyone?_

He hopped forward quickly, arriving beside Gale.

"Hey," he said. "If I can ask you something…"

Gale made a beckoning gesture with his fingers. "Uh-huh? What've you got?"

"I wanted to ask you…why does the internet seem so empty?"

"It's not," said Gale. "We've got tons of characters on the net."

"Where are they, then?" Gene continued. "Not counting you and the iron wolves, I've only seen three."

"That's because I've not been leading you down the paths that most of them tend to frequent," Gale replied. "If I'm to lead you guys safely, its best that we keep away from crowds."

"Wouldn't it make more sense to mingle with the crowds, so the wolves won't spot us so quickly?"

"You don't know these beasts," said Gale. "They'd find us. And they wouldn't let anyone or anything stand in their way."

"But if the worst came to the worst, you could rely on your friends, right?"

"I can count my friends on one hand," said Gale. "And I'm not so sure any of them are any more than acquaintances, really."

"Oh," said Gene. "I'm sorry if I touched on a sore spot."

"Don't be," said Gale. "It's my own fault. I can be pretty arrogant."

"If you don't mind my saying so," Gene replied, "you don't seem arrogant. A bit too energetic for your own good perhaps, but not arrogant."

Gale laughed bitterly. "You haven't known me for much longer than a day. No, I've done plenty of things I regret."

"But don't people know that you regret them?"

"Let's not go there right now," said Gale.

"My apologies," said Gene.

"That's alright," said Gale. He pointed towards a door several yards ahead.

"Our destination."

Gene looked above the doorway, where the title _Internet Archive_ could be seen.

"Interesting," said Calhoun. "A library?"

"Of sorts," said Gale. "There may be others inside, but if I've timed things right, they should be few in number."

He threw open the door and they all stepped inside.

The room was empty.

"_No_ visitors?" said Gale. "That's strange. They probably all went to the rest of the website." He gestured at the various doors that were set in the walls.

Gene allowed his gaze to drift about the room, taking in the simple white and olive walls, as well as the lines of text. He scanned the titles above the doors, until he came to one near the center of the far wall. The sign above it read:

**Wayback Machine **

"That'll be the one we want," said Gale, noticing Gene's silent observation. "We'll be going through the portal on the inside. Once we get on the other side, we'll just need to find the website Felix has gone to."

He strode towards the door and opened it swiftly.

Gene was the first to enter. He stopped short, his jaw dropping. The portal was immense, far bigger than the one they had passed through to reach the internet. Its circular frame was filled with a similar shimmering substance, this time of a deep shade of red. The portal took up almost the whole of the back wall of the room.

Behind him, Gene heard the others entering. Vanellope, who was now walking on her own once more, came to a stop beside him. Her eyes widened in amazement.

"More electric jello?"

"I guess so," Gene heard Ralph say.

"Cool," said Vanellope. "The last one was fun to go through."

"Be on the alert," said Calhoun. "We don't know what's on the other side."

"I'm with the sarge," said Gale. "I'll go first, check if the coast is clear."

"I've got the scanner," said Calhoun. "Maybe I should."

"That's true," Gale replied. "Be as quick as you can".

Calhoun nodded. "If I'm not back in ten minutes, don't wait for my return to come through."

She pulled the scanner from her belt and passed through the portal.

Five minutes later, she was back.

"No iron wolves," she said. "I'm picking up signals through the various doors, but nothing in the passage."

"Any sign of Felix's whereabouts?" Gene asked.

"Negatory," Calhoun replied. "Not even a boot print. Of course, I haven't seen any of those in a while. I think the dirt wore off his shoes some time ago."

"Keep a weather eye out," said Gale. "Maybe you'll find more writing. I mean, you said it was classic mind-control, right?"

"So we deduced," said Calhoun. "Anyway, we'd better get going. And yes Vanellope, it _is_ more electric jello."

* * *

The passage on the other side of the portal consisted of bare yellow walls, with doors dotting the walls seemingly at random.

"This first stretch is from the 1990s," said Gale. "They were still figuring out how to polish websites back then."

There was little conversation, however. His one remark notwithstanding, Gale urged as much quiet as possible. And so they proceeded, for the most part, in silence, until Calhoun stopped abruptly beside one of the doors.

"What is it?" Ralph asked her.

"Hold," she said," raising a hand to cut him off. "Let me listen."

From behind the door, Gene heard a faint _boing_.

"That's Felix's hop," said Gene. "I'd know that sound anywhere."

"So would I," said Ralph.

"And I," said Calhoun.

"_Pickles_?" said Gale, reading the sign above the door. "What's he doing in there?"

"I don't know," said Calhoun, "but we're about to find out."

She turned to Gene, Ralph, and Vanellope.

"He probably won't…won't be…himself," she said, a hint of trepidation in her voice. "If you'll let me approach him first please, I'll see if I can talk some sense into him."

"Sounds sensible to me," said Gale. "You know him and I don't."

"Just open the door already," said Vanellope. "We've got to help him."

Calhoun placed her hand on the door and gently pushed it open.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Mr. Morton**

The website, Vanellope noticed, was fairly clunky in design. One wall was festooned with images of pickles, while another had several chunks of text. A two-dimensional animation of a dancing pickle was playing in a loop at the bottom right corner of the back wall. Beside this was a closed brown door with a yellow knob. Each of the other two walls also had a similar door set within it.

She only noticed these things in passing, however. Another sight soon had the whole of her attention. Fix-It Felix Jr. was standing at the far end of the room. He seemingly hadn't noticed their arrival, for his eyes were firmly fixed upon the dancing pickle.

Slowly, carefully, Calhoun approached Felix. When she was a few yards away, she called his name softly.

Felix turned. As soon as he saw Calhoun, he started. Spinning completely about, he jumped forward and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Uh…Felix?" Calhoun said, taken aback.

"When did you get here?" he exclaimed.

"Just now," Calhoun replied. "You seem a little-"

"-happy?" Felix finished for her. "Of course I'm happy." He peered past Calhoun.

"Ralph, Vanellope? Gene too?" He grinned madly. "Oh my land, this is just fantastic!" He ran towards them and took each of their hands in turn.

_He doesn't look like he's being mind-controlled_ Vanellope thought as Felix let off shaking her hand wildly. _What happened to him?_

"And you?" said Felix, coming to Gale. "I don't know you."

"That's Gale," said Vanellope. "He was helping us find you."

"Mighty nice of you," said Felix, shaking Gale's hand as well.

"I don't understand," said Calhoun, walking towards the group once more. "Felix, I thought you were-"

"-being mind-controlled?" Felix said, once again finishing his wife's sentence. "I was, until a few hours ago. Turns out it was all a mistake."

"Mistake?"

"Yes, a mistake," said Felix. "The guy who lives in this website accidently lost a prototype mind-control bug during a fight in the wire. It must have gotten turned on by accident and wandered into the arcade, where I found it."

"So why'd it start controlling you?" Ralph asked.

"It panicked, thinking I was attacking it and planned on spilling its owner's secrets-whatever that means. So it took me back here…where the owner took it out about twelve hours ago. I only just got back on my feet though. It takes a while to recover from that thing's removal."

Felix," said Calhoun, "I know you're relieved, and so am I. But haven't you asked yourself why anyone would have a prototype mind control bug in the first place?"

Felix paused.

"Oh my land, I hadn't thought of that," he said. "But he hasn't done anything bad with it. As far as I know, he wasn't even going to use it for anything at all."

"Who wasn't going to use it?" Gale asked him.

"The guy who owns it," said Felix.

"What's his name?"

Vanellope's head swung instantly toward Gale. Their guide's voice was saturated with trepidation.

_Does he know something about-_

She lost her train of thought as the door in the rear wall swung open and a man stepped into the room. His complexion was pale, his hair dark and stringy. He wore a white suit with a blue flower in the lapel. A grim smile was on his face.

"That'd be Mr. Morton to you, friend Gale," he said.

Vanellope saw the newcomer press a button on the wall. She heard the door slam shut behind them. Mere seconds later, he had pressed another, causing a force field to spring up around Gale.

"What is this?" Calhoun demanded.

"Oh, I'm not trying to stop you and your friends from leaving," Mr. Morton replied. "You fellows can go whenever you want. I just want him." He pointed at Gale.

"Is something going on that we don't know about?" Gene asked.

"Oh good," said Mr. Morton. "He hasn't told you? Then I was right to call off the iron wolves."

"Wait, _you _sent those creeps after us?" said Ralph.

"Not exactly," said Mr. Morton. "They had no business attacking you when first arrived on the internet, which is why I told them to back off. When they attacked you again, I'd already told them to stay away. They were supposed to let you find Felix and leave again unmolested. But no, they had set a trap, and they were going to take whoever fell into it. They're loyal allies, but their thinking lacks nuance at times."

Vanellope's mind was a whirlwind of confusion. She glanced from Mr. Morton to Gale, who looked as though he would rather have been anywhere but where he was. She turned back to Mr. Morton.

"A trap?" she asked. "But if we weren't who you wanted…"

"I don't want you, or any of your friends," said Mr. Morton. "I want _him_." His eyes narrowed ferociously as he pointed at Gale once more.

Felix's expression became concerned. "But…you mean…"

"Uh-huh," said Mr. Morton. "He's the one I was chasing through the wire. I nearly had him too, before he whipped out that gun. Destroying that weapon was hard work. The iron wolves had heavy losses too. I can understand why they'd be ready to pounce on anyone who came through that wire.'

'But that's all by the by now," Mr. Morton continued. "I need to thank you all. You might not know it but by letting _him_ bring you here, you've helped me catch one of the internet's worst criminals."

"What do you mean?" Vanellope demanded, her temper rising. "He hasn't done anything to hurt _us_."

"Oh yes he did," said Mr. Morton. "He's left a trail of blood and despair in his wake with his every action. And you of _all_ people should be over the moon that I can finally bring him to justice."

Vanellope paled.

"_Me_? But-"

She glanced at Gene, Calhoun, Ralph, and Felix each in turn. Every one of them wore baffled looks.

"You people clearly haven't been on the web before, or you'd already know," said Mr. Morton. "So I'll put it plainly. That man was SANG's chief of propaganda!"


End file.
